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Destiny 2 Root of Nightmares raid challenge Cosmic Equilibrium

How to complete the optional challenges in the Root of Nightmares raid.

Root of Nightmares challenges see the return of bonus raid objectives in Destiny 2, pushing players to their limits by giving them an extra consideration within an encounter, but give bonus challenge rewards for their efforts.

One such challenge is Root of Nightmare’s Cosmic Equilibrium in Destiny 2. This requires careful planning and execution at the Macrocosm encounter. Completion results in an additional reward chest at the end, and a triumph for first time completion.

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How to complete Root of Nightmares Cosmic Equilibrium Challenge in Destiny 2

The overall goal of the Macrocosm encounter is to align the three planets at each of the four 'islands' to match. This enables the fireteam to do damage to the boss. To accomplish this four Guardians each kill a colossus to earn the Planetary Insight buff, and figure out which planets at each island are mismatched, and swap the color of that planet with one on the opposite side so that each island has a complete set of either Light or Dark planets.

Cosmic Equilibrium works largely the same way, but with one key twist: there’s a specific pattern to the planets that must be achieved. In this case all of the planets on the left side must have Dark energy, and all of the planets on the right side must have light energy.

This is easy to accomplish if everyone does their part, but takes more time than the usual strategy. Rather than call out which planet is mismatched from the grouping on a side, each guardian must call out a planet that doesn’t fit in the Dark left, Light right pattern. Then each person will pick up the energy from that planet, and carry it to the other side and energize one of the planets that was identified as needing to change alignment.

Because of the number of planets that will need to change, this will take two full rounds. After a Guardian takes and installs either Light or Dark energy on one side, they will remain there until a new Colossus spawns, kill it to retrieve another Planetary Insight buff, and change the alignment of a second planet.

If done correctly, all of the planets will be the proper alignment, and DPS on the boss can begin. This will likely take multiple rounds, and if it fails a single time the challenge is failed. Aligning the planets too slowly will also give the boss an opportunity to activate his party wipe mechanic.

Additional Tips and Tricks for Cosmic Equilibrium in Destiny 2

Macrocosm is still a boss fight, with a large number of ads and a significant health bar on the boss itself. A Warlock with a well of Radiance is extremely helpful during the DPS phase.

High boss damage weapons should be a priority. Taipan 4FR is a great choice, as is a good roll of Wendigo GL3, but plenty of good boss killing options exist. One Guardian running Divinity can make a big difference as well.

The boss has the typical stomp mechanic, but the knockback effect is much greater than usual. Since the fight takes place in an area surrounded by pits, it’s best to always give him a very wide berth.

The most difficult enemies, other than the boss, are Cabal Centurions and Colossi. The Centurions have solar shields, and will fall quickly to the matching energy type. Colossi will typically be fought at close range, high impact weapons like shotguns and fusion rifles are a good choice for this.

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